Afib cases increase with an aging population. In Japan, the estimated number of patients with Afib is 1 million¹ in 2020 and this number is expected to increase even more as the aging of the population further accelerates.

The risk of Afib

Afib by itself is not a serious life-threatening symptom. But it becomes problematic because of the risk of causing a sudden stroke. An Afib-caused stroke is called a cardiogenic brain embolism, which is often life-threatening, and even those who survived a stroke may suffer from serious aftereffects, such as paralysis or being bedridden.

Detecting Afib

Once a patient is diagnosed with Afib, essential treatment is given to address the risk of stroke and prevent a stroke from developing. However, its detection is difficult, since Afib often does not exhibit subjective symptoms. Afib is also frequently paroxysmal, meaning it can be overlooked even with health checkups or regular doctor visits. A study shows that people with Afib are five times more likely to develop a stroke than those without Afib.²

With OMRON Healthcare's new blood pressure monitor, the company contributed to improve patients' condition.

Detecting Afib without subjective symptoms or with occasional ones, so that it can be diagnosed and treated appropriately is a difficult challenge indeed. To respond to this, OMRON Healthcare developed a home-use blood pressure monitor + ECG. By adding an ECG recording function to a blood pressure monitor, it enables users to monitor and record their blood pressure at home along with ECG data on a daily basis. It can contribute to the early detection of Afib in hypertensive patients.

Making an invisible risk visible

Afib is a common comorbidity presenting with hypertension. A study reports 50-60% of patients with Afib also have high blood pressure, and 10-20% of hypertensive patients have Afib.³ OMRON home-use blood pressure + ECG aims to help protect the health of hypertensive patients who have established a habit of measuring and managing their blood pressure every day, by making their invisible risk of Afib visible.

Tracking ECG and blood pressure simultaneously

OMRON Complete is a 2-in-1 unit combining an ECG monitor with two-hand finger-touch electrodes and a blood pressure monitor with an upper arm cuff. The most prominent feature is its ability to simultaneously track and record blood pressure and ECG data. We aim to facilitate early detection of invisible risk for hypertensive patients with the high possibility of developing Afib.

This device automatically analyzes measured waveform data via smartphone app and displays a “normal / not normal" message encouraging patients to see a doctor without delay. We will be moving into using this device in a remote patient monitoring service to enable patients to send their self-measured ECG data to doctors for diagnosis.

Everyday blood pressure monitoring, as well as ECG recording is key for detecting and treating Afib in time.

OMRON Healthcare has been committed to evolving ways to monitor and manage blood pressure at home for many years with the goal of achieving Zero Events. But Zero Events is not possible solely through blood pressure monitoring and management. To enable the early detection and treatment of Afib with its risk of developing a stroke, we would like to make daily blood pressure monitoring + ECG recording a health monitoring habit. We’re confident we can accomplish this because we have been passionate about promoting home blood pressure monitoring and management for many years.

Home-use ECG monitors were conventionally used for individuals having a history of heart disease to manage their health conditions or prevent a recurrence of disease. From now, OMRON Healthcare will be working to raise awareness of the importance of frequent recordings of ECG data as a daily practice and for the need for early detection of Afib.